Kansas
Kansas legalizes sports betting, then gets sued
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNW & AP) — Kansas has legalized sports activities betting. However the state was sued nearly instantly Thursday by a state-owned on line casino operator over an unrelated a part of the legislation designed to revive a long-closed greyhound observe in its space.
State officers and others weren’t positive forward of Gov. Kelly’s signing of sports activities betting laws Thursday when sports activities followers would have the ability to begin making wagers.
The lawsuit is from the Kansas Star On line casino operated by Boyd Gaming about 15 miles south of Wichita close to Mulvane.
The on line casino has a contract with the lottery and says that the contract has been breached as a result of the brand new legislation permits improper competitors from new playing gadgets at Wichita Greyhound Park.
Boyd Gaming despatched KSN Information this assertion:
The Governor’s signing of Senate Invoice 84 into legislation authorizes sports activities betting within the state of Kansas in addition to the location of as much as 1,000 so-called “historic horse-racing machines” (“HHRs”) in Sedgwick County.
Though Boyd helps sports activities betting, the addition of HHRs in Sedgwick County violates our contract with the state of Kansas. In that contract, the State ensures that Kansas Star would be the solely property licensed to supply on line casino gaming in Sumner and Sedgwick counties till a minimum of 2026. Boyd has lived as much as its obligations, efficiently operated the Kansas Star and invested a whole lot of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in Kansas Star based mostly on the State’s contractual promise.
HHRs are gaming gadgets which are indistinguishable underneath the legislation and to a participant from a conventional slot machine. They appear like slot machines, play like slot machines and are marketed like slot machines.
It’s unlucky that the State has enacted into legislation the location of 1,000 of those HHR machines in direct violation of our contract. The Lawyer Basic has issued two separate opinions confirming that such a legislation would violate the contract, and legislators issued comparable warnings earlier than its passage.
We’re due to this fact left with just one selection to guard our rights underneath our contract, and that’s to file a lawsuit difficult these provisions of Senate Invoice 84 that permit for HHRs in Sedgwick County.
David Strow Vice President, Company Communications
Boyd Gaming Company
The Related Press contributed to this text